updated 03:35 pm EDT, Tue July 13, 2010

May demand very rapid pace of construction

Apple will be opening a large number of Chinese retail stores in the near future, according to an official spokeswoman. Jill Tan says the company has plans to open at least 25 additional shops around the country, including one or more in the Hong Kong area. The 25 scheduled outlets are due to be completed by the end of 2011.

The new shops will have to be built at an unusually fast pace -- from July onwards, more than one a month. Apple only recently opened its first Shanghai store, the second in the country after one in Beijing. Local reports claim that up to two more stores could be built in Shanghai, which is likely to be Apple's most lucrative Chinese market after Hong Kong.